USPTO Patents Application 09893292

Exhibit 8 to the Request for Ex Parte Re-examination of

In re Patent No: 6,208,271

Issued: March 27, 2001

Applicant: Brad A. Armstrong

Title: Remote Controller with Analog Button(s)

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JAPANESE LAID-OPEN UTILITY
MODEL APPLICATION

H6-56740 (1994)

(1 9) Japan Patent Office (JP) (1 1) Publication No. H6-56740

(12) Published Laid-Opeh Utility Model (U) (43) Publication Date August 5, 1994

(51) Int. CI. 5 Identification In-House Reference Fl Place of Technical

Code Number Desigation

G01L 1/18

No examination request Number of claims 1 FD (totally 2 pages)

(21) No. of Application

UMAppl. H5-3804

(22) Date of Filing

January 14, 1 993 (Heisei 5)

(71) Applicant

000006220

Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd*

8-8-2, Kokuryo-cho

Chofu-shi, Tokyo

(72) Inventor

Hitoshi Furukawa

101 Hainesu Hyura, 541 Kitta

Tama-shi, Tokyo

(72) Inventor

KeikiTSUTSUI

Izumi Domitory 3, 5-40-2, Nakaizumi

Komae-shi, Tokyo

1

(54) [Title of the Invention] Pressure Sensitive Device
(57) [Abstract]

[Purpose] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a pressure sensitive device
having high durability and which provides resistance change with good operability.

[Structure] A pressure sensitive device 10 which includes two fixed contacts 12 and 13
formed opposite each other at prescribed spacing on a board 11 and a movable contact 14b supported
above the board 11 in a vertically movable way and is so structured that the movable contact is formed
of an elastic rubber mixed with a conductive substance and a part in contact with the fixed contacts is
formed convex ly downward.

f 1 12 13

[Claims]

[Claim 1] A pressure sensitive device which includes two fixed contacts formed so as to
oppose each other at prescribed spacing on a board and a movable contact supported above the board

in a vertically movable way and is characterized by the fact that the movable contact is formed of an
elastic rubber mixed with a conductive substance and the part in contact with the fixed contacts is
formed convexly downward.

[Brief description of the drawings]

[Fig. 1] Schematic sectional view showing an example of a pressure sensitive device based on
the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Partial sectional view showing a state in which a rubber key top of the pressure
sensitive device of Fig. 1 is pushed by a pushing force Fa.

[Fig. 3] Partial sectional view showing a state in which a rubber key top of the pressure
sensitive device of Fig. 1 is pushed by a larger pushing force Fb.

[Fig. 4] Graph showing the relationship between the pushing force F and the electric
resistance value R between fixed contacts in the pressure sensitive device of Fig. 1 .

[Fig, 5] Partial oblique view showing a modification example of a movable contact in the
pressure sensitive device of Fig. 1 .

[Description of the symbols]

10 pressure sensitive device

11 board

12 5 13 fixed contacts

14 rubber key top-

14a main body

14b s 20 movable contacts
14c foot

3

4

[Fig. 4]

5

[Detailed Description of the Invention]
[0001]

[Field of Industrial Application]

The present invention relates to a pressure sensitive device, and particularly to a pressure
sensitive device in which the electric resistance changes relative to stress.
[0002]
[Prior art]

Variable resistors constructed by a resistor and a slide contact have been used heretofore to
regulate circuit voltage. Sensors using the characteristics of a semiconductor pressure sensitive
device in which the electric resistance changes relative to stress, such as a torque gauge, etc. have
been widely known.

[0003]

For example, the cursor movement keys and scroll keys of a computer, power window
switches of an automobile, etc. are switches for simply switching ON and OFF. However, if a
function capable of analogically adjusting the control input in accordance with the will of an operator
is added, performance improvement as a so-called man-machine interface may be anticipated for
these keys or switches.

[0004]

To realize such analog operation, it is evident that software and hardware must be changed and
keys, switches provided with a variable resistor as a regulating means of electric quantity must be
employed.

[0005]

[Problem overcome by the invention]

However, for such keys and switches, the application of conventional variable resistors has
several problems from the standpoint of volume, weight, durability and cost, etc. For example, the
use of a conventional mechanical variable resistor in the keys of a keyboard also causes problems
from the standpoint of space, durability and operability.

[0006]

6

In view of the above, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a pressure sensitive
device that has a high durability and provides, resistance change with good operability by a simple
structure.

[0007]

[Problem resolution means]

The above purpose is achieved by a pressure sensitive device which includes two fixed
contacts formed so as to oppose each other at prescribed spacing on a board and a movable contact
supported above the board in a vertically movable way and is characterized by the fact that the
movable contact is formed of an elastic rubber mixed with a conductive substance, and the part in
contact with the fixed contacts is formed convexly downward.

[0008]

According to the above structure, when the movable contact is pushed from the above, the
movable contact comes into contact with the two fixed contacts on the board like a bridge by moving
downward, the part in contact with the fixed contacts below the movable contact being formed
convexly downward, therefore the greater the pushing force of the movable contact, the more the
movable contact deforms in a flattened collapsed-like shape and the more the contact area with the
fixed contacts will become.

[0009]

Accordingly, the electric resistance value between the two fixed contacts is slowly reduced
and change of the electric resistance value corresponding to the pushing force is obtained by slowly
increasing the contact area of the movable contact with the fixed contacts.

[0010]

The pressure sensitive device has a simple structure and can be manufactured at low cost
because it can be structured by only the movable contact and the fixed contacts in the above structure,
and the pressure sensitive device can be easily incorporated into the keys of a key-board because it
has excellent durability and can be structured in a small size, widely expanding its range of
application.

[0011]

7

[Example]

The present invention is described in detail hereafter, based on the example shown in the
drawings.

Fig. 1 shows an example of a pressure sensitive device based on the present invention.
[0012]

In Fig. 1, a pressure sensitive device 10 is structured from two fixed contacts 12 and 13
formed according to a conductive pattern so as to oppose each other at prescribed spacing with a
so-called rubber key top 14 arranged above the board 11.

[0013]

The rubber key top 14 is constructed from a movable contact 14b mounted to the lower end
of the main body 14a and a foot 14c vertically and movably supporting the main body 14a and
mounted to the surface of board 11, being integrally formed of an elastic rubber material, such as a
silicone rubber mixed with a carbon powder like carbon black or graphite, etc.

[0014]

As an illustration, the movable contact 14b of the rubber key top 14 is formed in the shape of
a hollow cylinder, and its lower end is shaped convexly downward.
[0015]

The pressure sensitive device based on the present invention is structured as above, and if the
rubber key top 14 is pushed from above, the rubber key top 14 can be moved down.
[0016]

As shown in Fig. 2, when the lower end of movable contact 14b of the rubber key top 14
comes into contact with the two fixed contacts 12 and 13 on the board 11, the fixed contacts 12 and
13 can be electrically connected to each other via the movable contact 14b, at which time the electric
resistance value R becomes the maximum value because the pushing force is Fa and the contact area
of the movable contact 14b with the fixed contacts 12 and 13 is small.

[0017]

If the rubber key top 14 is further pushed down from this state and the pushing force is Fb, as
shown in Fig. 3, the movable contact 14b of the rubber key top 14 is elastically deformed and

8

collapsed in a flattened shape, increasing the contact area of the movable contact 14b with the fixed
contacts 12 and 13, reducing the electric resistance value R between the fixed contacts 12 and 13.
[0018]

In this manner, as shown in a graph of Fig. 4, the electric resistance value R between the fixed
contacts 12 and 13 changes considerably on the basis of the pushing force F of the rubber key top 14.
[0019]

Fig. 5 shows a modification example of the movable contact 14b in the example of Fig. 1.
Namely, in Fig. 4, the movable contact 20 is formed in a hollow shape by its cross-section so that the
upper end 20a is formed flat and the lower end 20b becomes convex downward.

[0020]

In the case of movable contact 20 thus constructed, as with the case of the hollow cylindrical
contact 14b, the movable contact 20 is collapsed in a flattened shape corresponding to the pushing
force, increasing the contact area with the fixed contacts 12 and 13. Accordingly, the electric
resistance value changes little in proportion to the pushing force.

[0021]

The shape of above-mentioned movable contacts is not limited to the shape of 14b, 20 and
may be at least a downward convex shape so that the contact area with the fixed contacts 12 and 13
increases in accordance with the pushing force F.

[0022]

[Efficacy of the invention]

As described above, the present invention can provide an extremely excellent pressure
sensitive device that has high durability and provides resistance change with good operability by
means of a simple structure.

9

CERTIFICATE OF TRANSLATION

I Roger P. Lewis, whose address is 42 Bird Street North, Martinsburg WV
25405, declare and state the following^

I am well acquainted with the English and Japanese languages and have in
the past translated numerous English/Japanese documents of legal and/or
technical content.

I hereby certify that the Japanese translation of the attached translation of
documents identified as:

Laid Open Utility Model
JP H6-56740
"Pressure Sensitive Device"

is to the best of my knowledge and ability true and accurate,

I further declare that all statements contained herein of our own knowledge,
are true, that all statements of information and belief are believed to he true.

ROGER P. LEWIS

October 24, 2006